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By Charl Bosch

Motoring Journalist


Johannesburg named in cities with the cheapest public transport

Survey has named Mumbai as the city with the cheapest single ticket public transport price of less than R5.


A newly released survey has named Johannesburg as one of the top 10 countries with the cheapest public transport in the world.

How JHB ranks

Compiled from 45 cities, the City of Gold came in sixth place with an average single ticket price of $1.12, which amounts to R20.49 when converted into the national currency.

At the same time, the business hub of the South African economy brandished a monthly transport cost of $44 (R805.11), which makes up a mere 3% of the average South African’s wages.

Besides public transport being free in Luxembourg, the Estonian capital Tallinn and Valletta on the island Malta, Mumbai ranked first as the country with the cheapest single ticket price of R4.21.

Second went the way of Istanbul in Turkey (R9.70) and third Moscow (R12.44). Respective monthly passes were also cheaper than the Johannesburg at R755.22 and R640.43.

ALSO READ: ‘Taxis the most expensive public transport’ – Ramaphosa

Most expensive

By comparison, the study by picodi.com named London as the city with the most expensive single public transport ticket at $5.19 or the directly converted equivalent of R94.97. At R4 958.74, the British capital also has the dearest monthly pass of the cities canvassed.

Second to London on the monthly pass front came the Irish capital with a price of R3 037.46 and New York on R2 323.84.

Taking second and third places with the priciest single ticket prices were Zurich in Switzerland (R86.92) and the Norwegian capital Oslo (R71.54).

More good news

The survey states though that, “when the monthly pass prices with the average monthly wages, the least favourable ratio can be found in São Paulo, where the monthly access to all means of public transport in the city costs 14.3% of the average wage. Second and third place in terms of cost belongs to Istanbul and London (7.5% and 7.4% respectively)”.

As a further feather in Johannesburg’s cap, survey remarked that the 3% average net wage places it in the same category as Amsterdam and Stockholm, the former having a single ticket price of R66.60 and monthly pass price of R1 957.88.

More info

The full report can be viewed by visiting the website, www.picodi.com. Take note: Rand values have been converted directly from the amounts given in US Dollars.

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Johannesburg CBD (Joburg) public transport